The Underboss
by Pantsman76
Summary: Set in the Godfather universe, the Underboss of a growing crime family becomes a key target in an elaborate ploy by the police and other crime families to eradicate his syndicate from the criminal underworld.
1. The Underboss Part I

The Underboss

Once Giovanni had put the bottle of Hoppe's 9 back in his drawer, he slid the magazine back into his .45. He carefully laid it back into the drawer on its left side, the grip facing him. He had to be ready to grab it at any moment. Being an Underboss in the Italian mafia was a dangerous business. Sure, it wasn't as dangerous as being the Don himself or especially the Front Boss, but it didn't hurt to be prepared. This meeting was going to be important. Inspector Moore of the NYPD had not been consistent with the agreement that had been made with the New York Chief of Police. Looking into the Ardizzone Family business was definitely not part of that agreement. Inspector Moore was new to his position, so the Don decided not to confront the Chief of Police himself, but instead decided that Giovanni should meet with the inspector personally.

As was custom for such meetings, Giovanni had two men on guard armed with Browning Automatic Rifles perched in the upper balconies of the house. Lorenzo and David were amazing marksmen, and Giovanni had trusted them with his life on many occasions. Both had been part of the family from a young age. As a result, both had learned their trade awfully well. No assassin would be able to escape their sights. They were going to defend Giovanni with their life.

As he shut the drawer, Giovanni heard a knock on the door. That would be Inspector Moore. Lorenzo and David had surely stripped him of any weapons he would be carrying, so he had no reason to try anything that would upset the family. The Ardizzone Family was definitely not the most powerful crime family in New York City, but they were on their way there. If Moore wanted to try anything here, he would not only upset the Ardizzone Family, but also their allies. The last thing that anyone in America wanted to do was upset the Corleone Family. Giovanni took a seat in his desk.

"Come in," he calmly said. He had learned from his predecessor to not open the door himself during these meetings. The man Giovanni replaced had made that mistake, and it earned him a .38 caliber slug in his chest. The door opened, and Inspector Moore entered the room. Behind him was Billy Macfarlane, an associate of the family who was being sponsored by the family's best Button Man, Aldo Vespucci. Rumor had it that Billy was pretty good with a pistol, and if Aldo was vouching for him, then he could be trusted. Billy was to accompany Giovanni during this meeting. That was something else that Giovanni had learned during his time in the Family; don't ever have a meeting alone.

"Pleased to meet you, Mr. Ardizzone," said Moore with a slight smile.

"Greetings, Inspector Moore. Do you have any idea why I asked you to be here today?"

"I think I have a good idea as to why I'm here, Mr. Ardizzone," Moore said with a sense of arrogance in his voice.

"Well then I'll cut right to the chase. Your investigations into our work need to stop, Inspector. In case you weren't aware, we currently have an agreement with the NYPD, and your actions are infringing on that agreement," said Giovanni. At this rate, these two men would come to an understanding and the meeting would be over soon.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Ardizzone, but I'm afraid I cannot comply with that agreement," said Moore. This surprised Giovanni. Nobody treated the family like this! This new inspector was very cocky.

"And exactly why is that, Inspector?" said Giovanni, trying to keep his cool.

"Well, I'm afraid that the investigations are not being run by the NYPD. Unfortunately, you've made some powerful enemies," said Moore. "And these enemies have reached a deal with the NYPD that is financially superior to yours. My apologies."

Just then, Moore began to stand up and reach into his jacket. In what seemed like slow motion, Billy tackled the Inspector to the ground as Giovanni quickly stepped backward out of his chair. Giovanni watched and stared as Billy and the Inspector fought in front of the open window for control of the pistol in Moore's hand. As Billy's hand pushed the hammerless pistol downward, Moore managed to wrap his finger around the trigger and pull it. The bullet struck Billy in the leg, causing him to scream in pain, but not before falling out the window with the Inspector's firearm in hand.

Giovanni speedily opened his drawer and pulled out the .45. Moore quickly intervened, smacking the pistol from Giovanni's hand. They exchanged punches, but the Inspectors training had taught him how to fistfight. Giovanni was thrown into the set of drawers that was behind his desk. He snapped back into reality as Moore was about to deliver the finishing blow. Giovanni moved out of the way just in time for Moore's fist to get crushed by the wooden cabinet. He rushed to grab the pistol from the floor. As he lunged, he heard gunfire outside. They sounded like Tommy Guns. David and Lorenzo weren't armed with Thompsons. As Moore began to plunge toward him, Giovanni racked a round in the .45 and unloaded at point blank range.

As dust and smoke mixed with the bloody mist that lingered in the air, the door at Giovanni's back busted down, followed by the sound of boots stomping on the ground. As he lay there, his pistol still pointed where the late Inspector once stood, Giovanni quickly became aware of the fact that several police officers had stormed into the office armed with Tommy Guns, shotguns, pistols, and everything in between. Still on the floor, he dropped the pistol, put his hands in the air, and stood up.

"Mr. Ardizzone, you are under arrest."


	2. The Underboss Part II

The Underboss Part II

The air in the jail cell was musty, to say the least. Giovanni was much more used to the comfortable surroundings of his home. He'd committed many crimes since his entrance into the Ardizzone Family, but surprisingly, none had ever landed him in jail. He'd been lucky. The allies of the Ardizzone Family had been sure of that. The Family was still gaining power. It was incredibly small compared to its friends and enemies, but it had managed to make quite a bit of money with its explorations of the various vices. However, blackmail, exploitation, and murder only went so far. In order to succeed in the criminal underworld, one needed powerful supporters.

That's where the Corleone family came in. Don Corleone had been extremely grateful and generous. He was delighted to help the growing criminal empire that Giovanni belonged to, as long as his payment was recieved. It was originally thought that they would eventually become one of the Five Families of New York City. However, now that dream was being shattered by the NYPD. For a while, with the support of the Corleones, the Ardizzone Family had maintained a steady agreement with the police that they wouldn't meddle in the Family's affairs in exchange for reasonable payment. This secured the Ardizzones a spot in the top tier of criminal syndicates in New York. Someone had sabotaged them. Giovanni had learned the details of the raid on his home that had occurred no less than forty-eight hours ago.

Forty eight hours ago…

Inspector Moore stepped out of the red Cadillac Series 62 Convertible. Before closing the door he pulled out the radio.

"Your team ready, Johnson?"

"Of course, Inspector"

Moore had been waiting to go through with this assignment for the longest time. Officer Barnes had spent two years working his way through the criminal world under the alias of Aldo Vespucci. He had gained the trust of the Ardizzone syndicate, becoming one of their most well respected Button Men. After receiving enough intelligence from Barnes, the NYPD put together a plan to stop the Ardizzone syndicate, starting with the group's most powerful Underboss, Giovanni Ardizzone. The NYPD had created an agreement with the Ardizzone Family, but when the Barzini Family confronted them with a much better offer, who were they to refuse? There was one thing the Barzini Family wanted along with their invulnerability; the eradication of the Ardizzone family. In their minds, any step they could take to weaken the Corleone Family is a step they needed to take.

Barnes had bugged the office of Giovanni so that the police could hear everything that went on. The Inspector would enter the compound after being searched for weapons. Barnes would have a Colt Vest Pocket Model strategically placed for Moore to quickly snatch without anyone knowing. Upon entering the meeting, he would talk to Giovanni and at some point he would say "My apologies." At this point, the officers on standby would attack the compound in order to arrest Giovanni. If all went to plan, Inspector Moore and the officers involved would all get big fat medals.

Present Time…

Of course, that's more or less what happened. Giovanni had unexpectedly killed Inspector Moore, and he would surely get the chair for it, especially since he had other criminal charges along with it. Giovanni thought of ways to escape. Maybe he could carve a fake gun out of wood like John Dillinger. As he thought, he failed to notice a guard walk up in front of his cell.

"Hey, greaseball, how does it feel to be behind bars?" said the arrogant guard, with an obvious sense of superiority. Giovanni said nothing. "Don't worry! All your little Guinea friends are gonna be here with ya soon enough."

The guard's audacity enraged Giovanni. "Listen here!" But he couldn't figure out what to say. He was powerless. He was defeated. The guard unlocked the door and pulled out his nightstick.

"Don't you ever talk to me that way again!" he yelled as he proceeded to beat Giovanni with the weapon. With each strike, Giovanni let out a cry. It wasn't really a scream, but a grunt. Giovanni had received such pain before, and it didn't faze him as much as the guard would have liked. Suddenly, the hitting stopped. He looked up at where the guard was. He was standing there, staring at the wall. Giovanni heard a slicing sound as the guards body fell to the ground, dead. Behind him, a stocky man in a prisoners uniform stood, holding a shank.

"That dumb guard left the keys in your door, so I swiped 'em. Let's get outta here," he said. Giovanni stood up. The man's slick hair glistened on the light that shone through the window behind him. He was somebody that Giovanni could only describe as cool. The way he carried himself and the way he moved his eyes told Giovanni he was alert and vigilant, yet laid back. He proceeded to slip the revolver from the dead guard's holster. "Let's go,"

Giovanni followed the man's lead. He was the only person he could trust right now. And if he could get him out, then following him was the best option. They proceeded down to the end of the hallway. The man cracked open the door that lay before them. He closed it again. He looked at Giovanni.

"What's your name again?" he asked.

"Um, it's Giovanni" said Giovanni, nervous. Although he trusted this man (to some extent) he was awfully intimidating.

"Alright Giovanni, how about you take this shank and take care of that sleepy guard in there, huh?" said the man. Giovanni wanted to say no. The last thing he wanted was another cop killer charge, but the look that this man gave him said something along the lines of "If you don't do this I'll kill you."

"Yeah, you got it," Giovanni replied. He slowly opened the door. There was the guard, sitting in a chair, sleeping. He slowly creeped up, put the shank to the guard's throat, and jabbed. Giovanni didn't look at the man he'd killed. He'd killed people before, but something about this was different.

"Now then, let's get into that armory," said the man, grabbing the keys from the bleeding corpse.

"What's your name, guy?" asked Giovanni, attempting to be polite as possible.

"The name's Gary Madsen, friend," Gary said, opening the lock to the door marked as the armory.

"Thanks for helping me out, Mr. Madsen," replied Giovanni.

"Please, call me Gary," Madsen said as the door to the armory swung open before him. He grabbed an old-fashioned Thompson, as well as an over-the-shoulder bag filled with fifty-round drum magazines. "You got a specialty, Giovanni?"

"Excuse me?" asked Giovanni, trying to pick up on what Gary was saying.

"What's your firearm specialty, pal?"

"I was pretty good with a shotgun, back in the day," said Giovanni humbly. The truth was, when he was a Button Man, he had mastered the skill of close quarters gun-fighting.

"Alright then, here you go," said Gary, throwing Giovanni a brand new semi-automatic shotgun. "Use it well,"

If Giovanni went through with this, he would be in big trouble if he survived. He would most likely be killed if they figured out where he was. Then again, at this point he would be on death row if he was arrested. He had nothing to lose. He grabbed a bag of 12 gauge shells from the armory and draped it over his shoulder. He then loaded the Browning to maximum capacity and chambered a round.

"Let's do it," he said. Gary burst through the door.

"Everybody on the ground!" he yelled. All the guards in the room dropped to the floor. One brave guard pulled out his revolver and aimed at Gary. Giovanni turned and fired, saving Gary's life. "Nice shot," Gary said calmly, almost as if nothing had happened. Giovanni realized; this man was a psychopath! "If any of you do so much as move toward that alarm, I'll blow you all away!" commanded Gary. "How about you open that door, Giovanni?" Giovanni did so. Just as they were about to make their exit, one of the guards decided it was worth it. He grabbed the lever of the alarm and pulled. As the alarm began to blare, Gary sprayed bullets all over the room, hitting some of the guards and missing others. He dropped the magazine that he had emptied, loaded in another one, and began to charge down the hall, yelling, "Let's go! We gotta move!"

Giovanni followed behind him firing at any guards that came in their way. They weren't focused on killing anyone. They just wanted to keep the guards on them so that they could escape. After running and shooting through a series of hallways and rooms, they finally came to a door that led to the garage. As he ran inside, shooting blindly behind him, Giovanni spotted an armored car. He then noticed the mechanic cowering in the corner.

"Gary, cover the door! Excuse me, sir, but would you be kind enough to lend us the keys to this armored car?" asked Giovanni. He hadn't done anything like this for a while, and he was starting to get back into it. The mechanic, still shaking and cowering in the corner, threw the keys toward Giovanni. He picked them up, hopped in the armored car, and started the ignition. He stuck the barrel of his shotgun out the window. "Gary!" he yelled over the noise of the gunfire. Gary turned to look at him. "It's not personal. It's just business." Giovanni fired two rounds with his shotgun. Gary, covered in blood, collapsed to the floor. Guards began to enter, firing at his remains.

Giovanni drove through the open garage door as fast as he could. Rifles began to fire at him from the guard towers, but the armor plating protected Giovanni from getting hit as he drove out of the front gate. Now that he was out, he had to come up with a plan. If the police were going through with what they had said, the Ardizzone Family would have been taken by surprise, most of them would be dead or arrested, or at least in hiding. Giovanni had to find refuge with someone. Not only would the police be after him, but the Barzini Family would be as well. This is why the Ardizzones had powerful allies. Giovanni would have to seek help from Don Corleone.


	3. The Underboss Part III

The Underboss Part III

The smell of rust and dirt was potent in the mound of car wrecks and obsolete machines that inhabited the junkyard. Giovanni had only recently pulled the armored car into the hiding place. He didn't want anyone to know where he was going. That generally was something most escaped prisoners desired. Giovanni had been sitting in the driver's seat for about two hours now, trying to conjure up a plan. He would have to find some new clothes. He also needed a weapon. Finding the weapon would be easy. The armored car surely had some sort of handgun inside. He would have to leave his shotgun behind. Walking through the streets of New York City with a Browning shotgun would not help his situation. He had to be rational and alert. If he made one slip-up, it could mean the end of his life.

Surely enough, a Colt revolver was in the back, among other weapons. Giovanni loaded the revolver and put some extra rounds in his pocket just to be safe. Each junkyard had an owner. Giovanni was sure he'd be happy to hand over his clothes to a man with a gun. He would probably have to wait until morning. He snuck over to the building, and checked the doorknob. It was locked. Maybe it was for the best. He would have to wait here until morning. Once the man got there, he would be in for a surprise.

Morning came quicker than expected, and Giovanni woke up just in time to see the junkyard owner get out his keys to the building. Giovanni snuck up behind him, undetected, pushing the muzzle of his pistol against the back of the man's head.

"What do you want?" said the man with sincere fear and anxiety in his heart.

"I don't want to hurt you, okay? If you do exactly what I tell you everything will be just fine, okay?" The man nodded his head in agreement. "Alright, good. Now I need you to walk inside," The man complied, ambling ever so carefully into the building. "Now I need you to give me your long coat and hat, okay?" The man stepped forward a little, and proceeded to take off his jacket and hat, his back still turned to his captor. Giovanni uttered a "Thank you," before striking the man in the back of the head with the butt of his pistol. He put on the hat, and then the long trench coat, concealing his prisoner clothing. He almost looked like an average city-dwelling Italian-American. He slipped the pistol into the coat pocket, and proceeded to walk downtown, but not before snatching the poor man's billfold.

Giovanni needed refuge, and for that he knew just where to go. He hailed a taxi and asked for transportation to Louis Restaurant. There he could get some food and make the call he needed to. It was a small, family place, with good food. Everyone minded their own business. For some reason, one of the distinguishing things about that restaurant that always stood out to Giovanni was that they had an old-fashioned toilet. It would be a perfect place to get some food and make the calls he needed to. As he entered, the smell of fresh food entered his nostrils. Fresh bacon, eggs, and toast were heaven compared to what he had had to eat for the past two days. He took a seat on one of the bar stools and ordered breakfast.

"Aren't you gonna take your coat off?" asked the waitress after a while.

"Oh, uh, no thank you. I, I have a bit of a cold so I need it to keep me warm," said Giovanni nervously. He had forgotten to create an answer to that question. He was already slipping up.

"Well if you have a cold then why are you even going out of the house?" asked the waitress. This was yet another question Giovanni did not have an answer to.

"Well, um, I was just, uh, I really wanted to get out of the house, you know?" said Giovanni. They had to be aware he was up to something by now.

"Sure," said the waitress, concerned. This was obviously just another strange, disturbed man. She almost felt sorry for him.

As Giovanni continued to eat his delicious breakfast, he couldn't help but notice a man walk in behind him. He was Italian. That was for sure. He was young, and his thick jaw made him look intimidating. He wore a grey suit with a black tie, and he held a briefcase. Giovanni could tell from the way this man carried that he was a Button Man. Why was he here? Was he coming for him? The Barzini family was probably still after him, if they were truly helping the police eradicate the Ardizzone Family. This man was here to kill him, wasn't he? Giovanni sat and continued eating breakfast, pretending like he didn't know he was about to die. However, the man continued to the back of the building, to the restroom. Giovanni watched the restroom with intent. What was this guy doing? Soon after, the man simply walked out of the restaurant, zero shots fired. Giovanni dismissed his thoughts as paranoia. He had to be careful. Thoughts like that could also land him in a bad position.

After he had finished eating breakfast and had laid his tip on the table, Giovanni proceeded to the phone booth. He needed to set up a meeting. He could not work his way around the Mafia chain of command. If he was truly the only Ardizzone left, then he needed to go directly to Don Corleone. Santino Corleone was the Corleone Family's Underboss. If Giovanni could get a hold of him, perhaps he could arrange a meeting with Don Corleone.

"Hey Santino, it's Giovanni," he said into the telephone.

"Giovanni? How are ya? The Ardizzones are all gettin' wiped out by Barzini and the cops! We figured you were dead by now,"

"Yeah, Santino, I know. I just broke out of jail last night, right before my transfer,"

"That was you, huh? Well, Giovanni, waddya need?" asked Santino, as if he didn't already know.

"I need to meet with your father,"

"Haven't you seen the papers? He's in the hospital! They tried to hit him! How did you not-," Santino suddenly was cut off and there were sounds of a scuffle in the background. Giovanni heard a voice telling Santino to calm down. He thought that it sounded like Tom Hagen, the Corleone Family Consiglieri and lawyer.

"I'm sorry Santino, I had no idea," said Giovanni, once he heard Santino get back on the line. The hectic events he had endured the past couple of days had kept him from keeping in touch with current events that didn't immediately affect him.

"It's fine, Giovanni, I just got a little carried away. How about this? Why don't you call me later tonight and by then I'll have something scheduled,"

"Sounds like a plan, Santino," replied Giovanni.

"See ya, Giovanni,"

Giovanni hung up and walked out the door. He would call Santino back when he came back for dinner that night. If Don Corleone was in the hospital from a failed hit, then all of this must be connected. Giovanni had quite a bit of money. He decided it would be best to buy some new clothes. A cheap suit would do fine. It looked better than what he was wearing now. Right now he looked like an escaped fugitive. It wouldn't be long until his face was printed in the picture, either. He would have to shave, then. After buying some clothes, he bought a razor and went to the bathroom. He changed and shaved, and he practically looked like a new person. Hopefully no one would notice him. If they did, then it definitely would not end well for him. His revolver would definitely not stop police officers.

After spending the day walking around New York, Giovanni finally made his way back to Louis restaurant, this time with prepared answers to questions, though nobody really asked him anything. That's why he liked the place so much. He sat and ate his dinner at a table in the corner. While he was eating, he noticed three people walk in. It was a little sketchy. Did this have something to do with the man that he saw enter the restaurant that morning? They all went and sat down at the same table. One of them was Italian, and young. He must have been punched pretty badly lately, because his jaw was swollen and it looked like his jaw was wired together.

The second man had his back turned towards Giovanni. He was Italian, too, and something about him gave Giovanni the impression that he wasn't really trustworthy. They had something to do with the Five Families. Giovanni was sure of it. The way they talked to each other and how they looked at each other revealed that they were trying to make a deal. It most definitely had something to do with all the events that had recently taken place.

The third man was certainly not Italian. After looking at him for a while, Giovanni finally recognized him. It was Captain McCluskey of the NYPD. Giovanni tried his best to hide his face. Had he gotten a good look at him? Was he in trouble? Giovanni peaked back at the Captain from behind the hand he had on his face. McCluskey must not have noticed him. He was too busy shoving food down his gullet. He was actually quite crude for a police captain, Giovanni decided.

After a while, the first of the three men got up and went to the bathroom. As he began stepped into the corridor, he made eye contact with Giovanni. Giovanni tried not to notice. His best bet to stay alive right now was to not make eye contact with anybody. When the man came out, there was something different about him. He seemed concerned and nervous. He was mildly shaking, but Giovanni could tell that he was trying to keep his cool. Giovanni knew how that felt. He remembered feeling like that right before his first hit.

The man burst out of his chair, pulled out a revolver, and shot the other Italian man in the head, sending blood to spurt into the air. McCluskey, obviously flabbergasted by this, stared at the man in awe. The Italian shot him twice. The man looked around as every person in the restaurant gazed at him. He proceeded to turn around and leave, lifting the gun in the air and dropping it on his way out. At this point, Giovanni had pulled out his pistol. He quickly dropped it back in his pocket.

He decided now would be a good time to use the phone. He quickly got to it before anyone else did.

"So how are things looking, Santino?" asked Giovanni.

"Well how about tomorrow morning you take a cab over to our house. I've arranged so that the guards will let you in," said Santino.

"Alright, thanks Santino,"

"You bet," said Santino before hanging up.

Giovanni decided he was going to take a cab to a hotel and got some rest. Tomorrow was going to be a big day. He decided to walk down the street a little before hailing a cab. He still needed time to think. About a half a mile out, Giovanni noticed something moving in the alley. He wanted to keep walking, but his curiosity got the best of him. Besides, he wasn't about to risk getting shot in the back. He pulled out his pistol and began to make his way down the alley. He began to see something moving in the shadows. As he tried to get a better look, he suddenly realized what it was.

He took cover in a stairwell that led into the ground. Shots rang out and pieces of brick sailed through the air as .45 caliber slugs slammed into Giovanni's surroundings. Suddenly, the firing stopped. He was out of ammo! Giovanni quickly rose from his cover and shot two bullets at where the assassin stood. There was a slight grunt, and the noise of metal and clanging to the ground. Giovanni, with his pistol still in hand, walked over to where the gunman lay. He was rolling around on the ground, blood seeping from his stomach.

"Help me," he gurgled. Giovanni was not in a business where enemies helped each other. He pointed the pistol at the gunman's head, pulled back the hammer, and fired. Suddenly, Giovanni heard the blaring noise of police sirens heading toward his location. This situation was gradually getting worse. Giovanni picked up the Tommy gun, loaded another magazine, and took off running. When he finally reached the end of the alley, a cop car pulled up in front of him. Flicking off the safety on the Thompson, he opened fire, destroying the car and everything inside it.

He started to take off down the road, but it was too late. A roadblock had been set up on the intersection because of the hit that had just occurred at Louis Restaurant. Giovanni had slipped up. As the police began to fire their weapons in Giovanni's direction, he ran to the alley, but officers were already headed down it, weapons drawn. Giovanni sprayed the rest of his ammo down the alley, killing most of the officers that were there. Now, he was as good as dead. Pulling out his pistol, he began to run in the other direction towards the grocery store. He really had no idea why except that he had nowhere else to go.

As he ran, more officers came from the alley armed with pistols and shotguns. They all fired. The first couple of shots missed, breaking the glass in front of Giovanni, allowing him to enter the store. The officers rushed forward, firing all the way. The first bullet hit Giovanni in the shoulder. The pain felt like he had been hit with a baseball bat that had a spike on it. As he screamed, he fell downward, knocking down a crate of oranges. The police, now great in numbers, fired all of their weapons in Giovanni's direction.

Ten hours later…

Inspector Taft surveyed the body of the notorious criminal that lay before him. Taft's partner, Inspector Moore, had been murdered by this menace. Taft was happy to take part in the man's death. The Corleones would now have one less ally for the war, no matter how lacking in power. The Ardizzone Family had been eradicated. The last member not deceased or in custody lie here dead in a mixture of blood and orange juice, per the Barzini's and Tattaglia's request. This Underboss would never be in charge of anybody again.


End file.
